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Lindsay Clancy Jury Deadlocked; Iran Launches New Strikes; U.S. Energy Secretary in Venezuela. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired September 02, 2026 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Happening now: oil deal.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright is in Venezuela. Could he work out a deal to bring down gas prices?

[11:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Plus: war escalation. Iran defies President Trump's warnings, launching strikes on several U.S. allies.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

We begin this hour with the breaking news. President Trump's energy secretary, Chris Wright, is in Caracas, Venezuela, meeting with top Venezuelan officials. And this comes after the Trump administration announced an oil deal aimed at increasing U.S. reserves and lowering gas prices.

BROWN: The six-month Iran war's disruption of the world's oil supply has pushed gas prices here in the U.S. above $4 per gallon on average, and that's causing a political headache for the White House and Republicans just two months before the midterms.

CNN's Alayna Treene is live for us at the White House.

So, Alayna, tell us more about the energy secretary's trip and when Americans could actually see the benefits of this oil deal.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, Chris Wright is there in Venezuela on the heels of that announcement of this new deal between the U.S. and Venezuela, just announced in recent days.

And, really, I think a big part of this is to facilitate some of -- more deals that they are expecting to announce because of this broader umbrella one. And just to give you a reminder of what exactly is in that deal between the U.S. and Venezuela, one, its 65 billion barrels of oil will now be under us control.

That's 55 percent of Venezuela's reserves. It's a 100-year lease on 17 different oil fields and $100 billion in private investment to rebuild oil infrastructure. Obviously, we have heard the Trump administration really touting this as a success. But I think what's important to note in the context of all of this is

that one of the immediate issues that the U.S. is facing, not just the U.S., I should say, countries around the world, is the lower and more limited supply of oil because of the ongoing war between the U.S. and Iran.

And this has created a massive problem, not only, of course, because of the high gas prices we are seeing impacting everyday consumers here in the United States, but also there's a political concern about that. And the president and his advisers recognize they need to do more to try and at least message on it better ahead of the November midterm elections.

Now, I will say, the president, President Donald Trump himself, he even acknowledged I believe it was the day before last, on Monday, that he had -- he doesn't expect really the benefits of this deal between the U.S. and Venezuela to show and really impact consumers in a positive way for another two to three years.

That's why you're hearing them try to work with other energy companies, other CEOs. We know some refiners and CEOs of different energy companies were at the White House yesterday to meet with the president about this. They need to do more to get prices down sooner.

But I do want you to listen to something that Chris Wright said, because he previewed that we could be hearing about more deals during his trip to Venezuela. Listen to what he told them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: We want to see a lot of investment coming from the United States into Venezuela to grow opportunity and prosperity for Venezuelans and for Americans and for energy consumers around the world.

So the deals that will be announced tomorrow, several deals that will be announced tomorrow, just those deals will lead to a more than doubling of Venezuelan oil production in the next few years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, obviously there talking about some of the deals that are working or being worked out to get more Venezuelan oil flowing, and also, of course, this deal under the U.S. that would be in charge of that.

I will note, though, one of the deals he was referencing is what we had heard from Chevron. Chevron said today that it would be investing $7 billion in its Venezuelan oil project, which is expanding to double its current oil production by 2031.

I should note Chevron is actually one of very few energy companies, especially when you look at the U.S., that have -- it's actually the only, I should say, major U.S. company that has continued to work in Venezuela and has maintained a heavy presence in Venezuela in recent years, despite some of the turmoil. So this is one of the positive deals that they're trying to reference

this week and hopefully encourage people that gas prices should be coming down soon. The question, of course, is likely not in time for the midterms -- Pam, Wolf.

BROWN: Yes, there's a big question mark about the timing around all of this.

Alayna Treene, thank you.

Let's go to CNN contributor Mary Mena in Caracas.

So, Mary, what more are you learning from Venezuelan officials about all of this?

MARY MENA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Pamela, actually, there's more information coming from the U.S. than actually the Venezuelan authorities.

What we know so far is what Delcy Rodriguez has said. She's the interim president of Venezuela. And she said this agreement will bring prosperity and investment into Venezuela. But, right, now there are concerns and questions about many of the details of the agreement.

[11:05:03]

For example, yesterday, the Venezuelan National Assembly discussed the topic of the agreement. And it was the first time that lawmakers had the opportunity to talk about that, not review the contract. And it was presented a motion of support by the brother of Delcy Rodriguez, who heads the Venezuelan Parliament, Jorge Rodriguez.

And he basically said that Venezuela requires, need the money, need the investment coming from the U.S. Venezuela do not have the infrastructure right now to boost oil production. And that is why they are taking this decision.

In one side from the minority of the lawmakers, the opposition, they said they -- of course, they agree and the Venezuelan oil industry requires more investment, but they need to read the fine print of the contract, because they don't know. They don't even have the chance to have that on their hands.

So the current Venezuelan Constitution establish that all public interest contracts must be approved by the National Assembly. That is not the case today. And in terms of expectations, Venezuelans are waiting to also, as in the U.S., they are waiting to see reduce low gas prices.

Here, Venezuelans are facing higher levels of inflation, also low salaries and shortages in basic services, such as water and electricity.

BROWN: Right.

MENA: So, for many people, the question is how the industry will grow and boost in the middle of this situation.

BROWN: Fair questions.

Mary, thank you so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Also happening now: Iran says a us strike sprayed a wedding celebration with deadly shrapnel. Tehran says at least four people were killed, including a child. CNN has reached out to the U.S. military's Central Command for comment on Iran's accusation. But CENTCOM has long made it clear that it does not target civilians.

The military has released new video of some U.S. strikes being launched. Officials say it's in response to Iran's recent attacks on American troops based in the region and commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran quickly defied President Trump's warning to not retaliate and launch ballistic missiles on sites in Jordan, as we see here. Jordan says it intercepted 10 Iranian missiles, and Kuwait and Bahrain say they intercepted Iranian drones as well.

The State Department, meanwhile, has also issued this warning for Americans in the region. And I'm quoting now from the State Department warning: "Due to tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation" -- end quote.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is joining us from Tel Aviv right now.

Jeremy, Iranian missile strikes on U.S. targets in Jordan, drone attacks on U.S. sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, how serious, first of all, is this new escalation?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this marks the first exchange of fire between the United States and Iran in over a month now, and there's no question that it does mark an escalation in the current situation, not only because of the intensity of the strikes that we have seen for two nights in just the last three days, but also because of the casualties that resulted, at least on the Iranian side.

According to Iranian state media, at least 11 people were killed, including Iranian security personnel, but also civilians, including four civilians who were killed at that wedding that you were just talking about. Again, that's according to Iranian state media. We can't independently verify those figures.

These strikes were conducted in retaliation for attacks that Iran carried out on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and on U.S. forces in the region. But any escalation always brings the risk of miscalculation and further escalation.

But it is important to note that, in the past, we have seen this level of intensity of strikes between the U.S. and Iran, and both sides have ultimately been able to manage that escalation. So far, Pakistani officials who are involved in mediating between the

two countries trying to reach an agreement to resume the cease-fire between these two countries, they have said that they are -- quote -- "not discouraged" by the latest exchange of strikes and that they remain engaged in the work of diplomacy to try and de-escalate the situation in the Middle East.

But it is notable that Iran carried out this latest wave of strikes despite President Trump's warning that Iran would be hit again and much harder. That was the president's warning yesterday before these latest Iranian strikes. What hasn't happened so far, though, is the involvement of Israel, neither Iran striking Israel nor Israel striking Iran.

[11:10:04]

There is a recognition on all sides of this conflict right now that any entrance of Israel into this conflict or Iran striking Israel would take things to a very different level -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Very, very high level.

Has there been any advisory, any warning from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Jeremy, to Americans who are in Israel right now or to Americans who are thinking of going to Israel right now? Is this a dangerous time?

DIAMOND: There has been this renewal of that State Department warning, part of which you read in the intro to this hit, Wolf.

There's no question that the warnings are being reiterated to U.S. civilians in the region, but there is no specific warning of any imminent threat, certainly not to civilians here in Israel, nor elsewhere in the region at the moment -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for us.

Jeremy, thank you very, very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: Wolf, still ahead, this disturbing story. A college student who went to the wrong house is shot and killed. Now a police officer faces charges.

BLITZER: And later: deadlocked. Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial struggle to reach a verdict after days of deliberations.

CNN's Jean Casarez is closely following all these developments in Plymouth, Massachusetts -- Jean.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Wolf, action at the courthouse this morning, a retired nurse now charged with one count of intimidating or harassing a deliberating jury, the Clancy jury.

We will have more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [11:16:14]

BROWN: Happening now: A woman accused of recording jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial as they left the courthouse has pleaded not guilty. She was arraigned this morning on one count of aggravated intimidation of a witness, jurors, and others, in violation of a court order. You see this video right here.

Back in court, the jury is back for another day of deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. Yesterday, they indicated they were deadlocked. The judge told them to keep trying for a consensus. The panel has been deliberating for nearly 24 hours since the judge told them that. And, overall, it's been several days that they have been deliberating.

They're tasked with deciding if Clancy is criminally liable for killing her three young children. Now, her defense team argues she was experiencing postpartum psychosis at the time.

CNN's Jean Casarez is right outside the courthouse in Plymouth, Massachusetts. And jury consultant and attorney Alan Tuerkheimer will join us to weigh in as well.

So, Jean, I want to start with you. What's going on right now?

CASAREZ: A lot has been going on this morning.

First of all, most importantly, the jury is deliberating, and we have not heard anything from them, not a note, not a peep, nothing. So they are doing that. But in another courtroom in the courthouse behind me, there was an arraignment of a retired nurse that has now been charged under Massachusetts law with intimidating or harassing a deliberating jury, which would be the Clancy jury.

Now, this jury arrives here every day at this courthouse. It's an undisclosed location in the back somewhere. We have never seen them come or go. But this woman, according to prosecutors, made her way to where that jury was and was trying to harass or intimidate, and in the proceeding was told that on her camera there were photos of the jury.

Her attorney said, no, she just wanted to see Lindsay Clancy. So this woman came out of the courthouse. She was released with no bail at all, even though prosecutors wanted that. But the order is to stay away from this courthouse altogether. The media mob was right there for her. She is running, as you can see in some of that video, to get away from them and to get out of here.

But, obviously, this is a very serious situation. This is not only a deliberating jury, but, under the statute, if the trial involves a life felony, which this does, it is up to 20 years in prison.

BROWN: So, Alan, how does this kind of disruption impact jurors and their deliberation process?

ALAN TUERKHEIMER, JURY CONSULTANT: So, this jury's been tried and tested, and they have been going through that side door, as Jean reported, and they were asked all these questions in the beginning. They know that the nation is watching. They know what's at stake.

So it's unfortunate and it is quite alarming that it happened, but I don't think it's going to impact how they go about their job. It's a very focused jury. They're doing what they're supposed to and what they're tasked with. So, again, it's probably a hiccup from the jury's perspective.

Since they're now protected, they're going to go back. They're deliberating, and they're going to come up with their decision. But, still, it's quite interesting and unfortunate that it happened, and interesting to see how that unfolds, just possibly another trial down the road in the same courtroom.

But I think this jury's going to be able to focus on what it has to do.

BROWN: So, what happens, Alan, if the jury ultimately cannot reach a unanimous verdict and there is a mistrial? What options do prosecutors have in that scenario?

TUERKHEIMER: Prosecutors can drop the charges, which is pretty unlikely. They can come to an agreement. They can still negotiate with the defense and discuss -- maybe they could convince Clancy to plead out, to plead to one of the charges. That also seems somewhat unlikely. I think the most common thing would be they would retry the case. They would start all over.

[11:20:02]

They would -- both sides then would dig in and look at the template that they have and go back over all the testimony, the exhibits and everything, and run it back. That's what everybody's trying to avoid.

But if there is a mistrial, it's very likely that will happen.

BROWN: Would they have to move jurisdictions, Alan?

TUERKHEIMER: I don't think so. No, I think they would have to be sure to thoroughly question all the prospective jurors, and it's pretty clear that most of the jurors would know about this case, maybe know what happened.

But the ultimate question to seat a new jury in a case that was retried is, have you made up your minds about the guilt or innocence of the defendant? And there's certain ways to seek jurors to get past that, and that's what would likely happen. It's hard to think about at this point, and they're still deliberating, and the hope is they come to a verdict.

But, yes, that could be what ultimately happens here, and certainly would be a cumbersome way to go about it, but it's happened before. And I think this judge would probably be determined to do it again if the prosecutors want to retry her.

BROWN: And, Jean, if there is a mistrial initially, what would that mean for Lindsay Clancy? CASAREZ: Well, on the one hand, a mistrial would mean that there is

no prosecution, right? The prosecution has ended, there is no decision, so conceivably Lindsay Clancy is a free woman.

However, the prosecution would very much stand up and possibly give a view of what they are going to do in the future. The intent is to retry this case, because they're going to want to keep Lindsay Clancy in custody. This is a triple murder case. She has been in custody from day one.

There has been no bail at all that was ever set, and the prosecutor is going to want to make sure that that continues until they make the final decision, and that would be from the district attorney himself of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

BROWN: All right, Jean Casarez and Alan Tuerkheimer, thank you both.

And we just want to note, if you or someone that you know is struggling with mental health issues, including depression or suicidal thoughts, help is always available. Call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or you can visit them online at 988lifeline.org.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:26:54]

BLITZER: Happening now: tensions escalating in the Middle East.

Iran defied President Trump's warnings to not retaliate and launched ballistic missiles on Jordan, as we see here. Jordan says it intercepted 10 of those missiles, while Kuwait and Bahrain, other U.S. allies, say they intercepted Iranian drones.

Iran says a U.S. strike sprayed a wedding celebration with deadly shrapnel. Tehran claims a 4-year-old was among several people killed and some 68 others injured. CNN has reached out to the U.S. military's Central Command for comment, but CENTCOM has long made it clear that it does not target civilians.

New video, meanwhile, shows some of the U.S. strikes being launched. The military says they're in response to Iran's recent attacks on American troops in the region and commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Joining us now is Sabrina Singh. She's a CNN global affairs commentator, was deputy Pentagon press secretary.

Sabrina, thanks very much for coming in.

It clearly looks like it's escalating big time. What dose all this suggest to you?

SABRINA SINGH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Yes, I think after a monthlong sort of pause on both sides, now we're seeing the tit-for- tat retaliatory strike start back up again. And I think what this indicates is, we are well past the president's

initial goals that this would be wrapped up in four to six weeks. As you know, we're beyond six months at this point, and it is looking like this is becoming more of an endless war, because if we are going to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz is open, we have seen Iran being able to retain these capabilities to threaten ships.

So even if the president posts on social media and says the strait is open, the mines are gone. It's really up to the shipping companies to transit the strait, and they're really only able to do that because they have our naval destroyers in the area that can shoot down ballistic missiles or drones that could be targeted towards them.

So we are looking at a prolonged conflict, I think.

BLITZER: And Iran clearly blatantly is ignoring President Trump's very blunt warnings and is attacking U.S. positions in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

Do you believe we're going to see a further escalation in this war now?

SINGH: I don't think either side wants to return to a full-scale war. I think what you're going to see is this continued cycle of violence.

You're going to see response from the United States. These are defensive strikes. We're taking out Iran's capabilities because they're s threatening ships, and then Iran retaliates against U.S. bases in the region or U.S. allies.

And I think you get to this sort of circular pattern, and the way that is going to get broken is through diplomacy. And, now, we know that talks are basically frozen. Neither side is speaking to each other. Economic sanctions are being put on Iran to try and get them to the table.

Will that work? I don't -- that's going to take a lot of time. And clearly we have blown past the president's deadline of four to six weeks, so who knows how long this really takes.

BLITZER: I want to turn to another subject.

As you know, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is currently in Thailand for its first regular port stop in more than eight months. An official on board told our -- my co-anchor, Pamela Brown, that they feel like the Beatles with all the attention they're getting.

SINGH: Yes.

BLITZER: You can see the press crowded around the aircraft carrier's leadership in this photo, for example.

What do you think will be the military's takeaway on these extended deployments at the end of the Lincoln's journey?